Tendrils Of Smoke
by death-in-the-orchard
Summary: Walter x Alucard Walter discovers Arthur's relationship with the vampire...


Walter walked down the corridor, frowning as he noticed the door was opened a crack revealing the dim lighting and two figures inside. _Fantastic. He could at least be more discreet when he's with his whores._ Scowling, he put his head passed the door for a second to quickly ask Arthur a question. He jumped back, badly shaken as he saw who the female partner was…or was going to be. Suddenly he could hear Arthur's voice.

"Lay down."

He saw a shadow lay down, immediately, on the bed. A twisting wrenched his stomach as he heard clothing being removed. The female never spoke, and Walter wasn't surprised.

"Be a little more…involved, Alucard."

At the name, Walter lost all composure and backed up, his body trembling. _Impossible. Impossible. This has to be a dream. It just can't be real._ He heard a gasp, and he couldn't endure any more. Walter ran down the hall and into a side room. He collapsed at the door, after closing it, and lent against it. A cigarette's ember trembled from his mouth in the darkness. Unseen smoke soon blanketed the ceiling, and with a final desperate puff, Walter took the cigarette from his mouth and drew up his knees, letting the ember hang from his fingers on his knee. Time passed and the sound of the door shutting made him jolt. No sound was made, but he could feel the presence sweep past him.

Waiting for a few moments, Walter opened the door and followed Alucard, forgetting his original reason for coming to Arthur's room. He was eighteen now, and Arthur never even tried to hide his vulgar vice any more. It bothered Walter, but it was endurable. But if he was sleeping with the vampire, that would be an entirely different matter, though he couldn't quite understand why. Perhaps because he saw Alucard as a mentor, he looked at Alucard as the strongest existence possible. The whole matter made Walter want to wretch on the floor.

Now he saw the ghostly shimmer of Alucard's white garments and Walter slowed down. Moments later, Alucard slipped outside and headed into the surrounding trees within the Hellsing private forest. He followed Alucard, fearing that at any moment he would see a pair of large, red eyes turn to him. But it never happened and Alucard came to a stop beside a tree, half a mile from the estate. He rested a small, gloved hand on the bark, standing beside the tree. The hand suddenly flew back with blinding speed and crashed into the tree, uprooting the massive plant and making Walter cover his gasp with his hand. The tree rocketed and splintered against another which Alucard also struck down. He paced back and forth before the wreckage and his hands found his hair and he grasped it.

The erratic behavior terrified Walter, but the violence passed and Alucard sat with his legs crossed, holding his head with his elbows in his lap. As the thundering sound faded from Walter's ears he heard a murmuring giggling from Alucard. A sudden coolness enveloped his body as he watched the twitching vampire, and without meaning to he stepped into the newly formed clearing. As soon as his foot entered the realm, Alucard whipped around.

"Walter?" Alucard said loudly, alarmed. He immediately got up and walked over to the butler. "Why are you here? Since when?"

"I just…" Walter stuttered, recovering from his momentary blackout. "I followed you."

Alucard froze, a few yards from Walter. "Why?"

"Because I saw." Walter whispered. Any mortal wouldn't have been able to hear him, but he knew Alucard would. The small body went rigid and an alarmingly blank look veiled Alucard's usually animated features.

"You saw…what?"

"You…and Arthur…the beginning. I left, though, right away."

Alucard turned around, taking a few steps, lacking his usual grace. His hand found his hair again. "Tell me you're joking, Walter." He said quietly, without facing the youth.

"I wish I could."

Alucard was on his knees.

"Alu.." Walter rushed forward, a dark chuckling cut him off. He stood by the vampire who had a twisted grin on his face.

"I almost threw up." Alucard chuckled again, draining any remaining color from Walter's face.

"Alucard…" he swallowed. "Are you…uh…okay?"

"I'm fine, Shinigami. It's nothing new and different." A sharp intake of breath made Alucard look up at Walter. Alucard got up. "Let's go back, Walter. Its Fall and you must be getting cold and…." He jolted as arms wrapped around him. "Walter?" he gasped, making Walter flinch.

"I…don't know." Walter whispered, struggling to think. He was amazed at how delicate Alucard felt in his arms, the feeling of holding such a powerful entity and having them feel like this…was unimaginable. "I guess…I'm sorry, Alucard."

"Why would you apologize?" Alucard's voice was quiet and after a moment of silence, he detached himself from Walter. "I don't need that right now." He looked at the ground and began to walk away. Walter grabbed him and their lips met. Alucard pushed him away, his eyes wide. "What are you doing?" His face contorted and his voice became stronger. "I'm a man, Walter. Though I don't appear to be one right now. I am male."

"That…somehow…makes it all the more sad." Walter grabbed a white sleeve.

Alucard ripped his arm away from Walter. His eyes had specks of insanity. "Why are men attracted to me? It makes no sense." He laughed, but his mouth didn't smile. "I've even become a monster and it still persists."

"This has happened…with others?" Walter's face was blank.

"I'm not going to enlighten you with details of my past, Walter." Alucard collected himself. "You've never seen me in any other form other than this, you're just confused." He grabbed the sleeve of Walter's uniform. "Let's go back, I'm not even supposed to be this far away from the estate."

A myriad of questions collided and melded together to warp Walter's mind into an undecipherable conundrum. Finally one thought surfaced. "You don't need to go back, if he's doing that…it…it's wrong!" Walter raised his voice.

"I have to, Walter." Alucard didn't turn to look at Walter as he dragged the youth behind him.

"No, you could…I mean you're so strong he couldn't possibly…!" he tugged at Alucard, tying to make him stop, surprised when the vampire did.

"Walter." He said quietly, making the hairs on the butler's neck stand up. "You forget what I really am, a monster and a slave. A monster deserves Hell and a slave has no rights of freedom. I cannot leave the Hellsing line. I do not have a choice, but I also do not want to."

"What?" Alucard let go of Walter as he let go of him. Walter was confused, his mind blank.

"I do not hate hunting vampires and serving Hellsing for this purpose…anything else…I despise, but there are things for which I serve a more meaningful purpose. Also, I do not mind the company of humans such as yourself." Alucard left Walter behind, disappearing slowly into the darkness and gloom under the shadows of the tree. Walter switched a lighter, a cigarette in his frowning mouth. A whisper of smoke rose, its fingers stretching to capture the moon, failing. The hands would never be able to hold the moon, but it could float and dissipate into the sky it resided in.


End file.
